Melanoma shock: Australian woman’s itchy arm led to skin cancer diagnosis

Courtney Mangan never thought about her itchy arm until her father noticed something unusual about her complexion.

In 2017, the 34-year-old public relations director had seen a mole on her right shoulder, and after it hurt a lot, she decided to seek a second opinion.

In the space of a year, he had visited several GPs who told him the same thing: that there was nothing to worry about.

However, after her father, who had several melanomas removed, noticed that the mole had changed color and her complexion became more crusty, he encouraged her to make an appointment with a skin specialist.

That’s when Mangan’s world turned upside down after it was revealed that he had level 4 melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer that took the lives of 1,415 Australians in 2019.

“I was shocked,” Mangan told news.com.au.

“I went home that night and my parents came. My mother’s brother passed away from skin cancer. [10 years ago] and she was very excited about all of this, so I was trying to put on a brave face for her. “

Two weeks after his diagnosis, the Gold Coast local, who is the head of Australian public relations firm Spin & Co, underwent surgery to remove the mole and a lymph node.

“I had to wait a few days for the margins to come back and it was free; it had not been extended,” Mangan said.

Since then, she has had to get a skin check every three months.

But almost three years later, Mangan saw something more unusual near the starting point of melanoma on his shoulder.

“In November, I had recently lost a lot of weight, about 45 kg, which had nothing to do with an illness, however, as my arms could feel a little better, I felt a lump under the skin of my right arm”, said. said.

“I thought it was a pimple as it was a bit sore and tender, or possibly an infection.”

Since she was already signed up for her three-month skin check, her specialist ran several tests and, to her horror, she was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma (which has since been re-diagnosed with stage 3B).

“The skin specialist had referred me to a surgeon who, based on my history, told me, ‘I need you to prepare as it is most likely not a good result,'” she said, adding that the tests came back for reveal he had not one but two lumps on his arm.

“I was diagnosed on a Friday and on Monday I went to surgery to have the lumps removed. Then I had to meet with an oncologist to talk about my cancer treatment.”

Since February this year, Mangan has undergone immunotherapy every two weeks.

However, because her body has rejected the treatment, which would normally take around 30 minutes, takes up to four hours for the 34-year-old woman.

“I have to take all these antihistamines the night before and the morning of – and that’s why I have to be admitted to a hospital where they knock me out, that’s why it takes longer.”

Despite a family history of melanoma, Mangan didn’t think he was going to be a victim, and said he’s smart about the sun, applies sunscreen daily to obvious areas like his face, wears hats and never sunbathes.

“I have fair skin, so I burn easily, that’s why I’m always so careful. But the lesson for me: It wasn’t the time I went to the beach, it’s all the times I drove to work where my arm and mole It was exposed. It’s all that incidental sun that you don’t think about it. “

Mangan, who currently has no evidence of cancer, has set out to raise awareness of the importance of regular skin checks, saying they helped save his life.

“You need to know your body and be aware of its changes. There are also many applications where you can take photos of your moles.”

According to new research by Australia’s leading life insurer, TAL, 68 percent of Australians have not had a skin exam in the past 12 months, and 35 percent have never had one.

TAL Medical Director Dr Priya Chagan said SpotChecker’s Australian Skin Safety Report showed that while people have the right intentions when it comes to skin safety, they are not giving enough real steps to prevent or reduce the impact of skin cancer.

“The good news is that TAL research reveals that 57 percent of respondents say their awareness of the importance of skin safety has increased in the last five years. Taking the time to get to know your own skin so that being able to notice any changes throughout the year is an invaluable step in detecting and possibly preventing skin cancer or the spread of skin cancer, “said Dr. Chagan.

Australia and New Zealand have the highest rates of melanoma in the world. More than 13,000 people are diagnosed with melanoma in Australia each year, states the Cancer Council.